Falling Skies Drabbles and One Shots
by blamethegnomes
Summary: A collection of drabbles and one shots about Falling Skies; different pairings/relationships in each one. Leave requests as a review or go to my Tumblr account (blamethegnomes).
1. Ben's thoughts when Karen kisses him

"I don't know. They don't tell me that."

"Because of your spikes?"

I couldn't help it. For once it was like someone understood me, like someone cared for the _right_ reasons that I had spikes growing out of my back. And then when I made her laugh, something inside of me just _ignited_. I had made someone laugh, something I hadn't done in so long. And she understood what it would be liked to be called 'Razorback' or 'Coathanger' because she was like me. In hindsight, not _entirely_ like me, but you get my point. It didn't help when she started to list all of the things that she could do now, things that I could do. It felt like we were just two peas in a pod, waiting to meet. And watching her come alive as she told me about the little details she could see on the trees out the window and her strength as she lifted the bed made me feel a little more alive, a little more comfortable in myself.

Suddenly, she was so close I could almost taste her, I could smell the woods on her, I could see every little fleck in her eyes. And then she did the unthinkable. She leaned in and kissed me. It was like my whole body was set on fire but I was so numb. All I could do was gape like a fish, my mouth flopping open and my eyes staring at her. I didn't need to see my back to know that the spikes were glowing. As weird as I felt in that moment, it felt _normal_, almost as though this was supposed to happen between us. Every bit of reasoning left my mind. All of a sudden, it was as though Karen wasn't lying to the entire 2nd Mass, she wasn't here to do horrible things. She was here because this was supposed to happen, she and I were supposed to connect.

But then the door opened and I could hear a little "What the Hell?"

It was as though time froze. Karen's lips left mine so slowly that I didn't even realise that the pressure was lessening. But the coldness came all at once, the cool air suddenly hitting where Karen's warmth had been and it took everything not to let out a small shiver. All I could do was watch as Karen collapsed onto the floor and Hal came into the room asking what I did to her. All I could do was panic as Karen didn't move. I was still entranced from her lips on mine, but I was steadily just becoming confused as I backed out of the room. I didn't know where I was going, I just needed to get away.


	2. New Year's Resolutions

THE FALLING SKIES CHARACTERS NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS

They all sat around the campfire, tiredness beginning to set in. It was about half past midnight on January 1st and the 2nd Mass couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces. It was a new year, a new start. Weaver leaned forward to poke the fire with a long stick as his followers shuffled ever closer to keep the cold winter chill at bay.

"Mom always made us tell her our resolutions at around this time," Matt said quietly. The firelight cast strange shadows over his face making his expression unreadable, but the slight waver in his voice gave away his sorrow for his lost mother. Ben wrapped an arm around him and rubbed his arm in consolation; all of the Masons missed Rebecca, it was never any secret.

"Well, then," Tom said, looking at his youngest son, "why don't you tell us your resolution?"

"I'm going to try to be braver," Matt announced, sitting up a little straighter but making sure that his brother's arm didn't stop holding him. "I won't be scared anymore." Tom felt guilt begin to trickle into his bloodstream, spreading around his body until it filled every crevice. He'd been so worried about getting Ben back, making sure Ben was okay and adjusting well, making sure Hal didn't turn reckless, what was happening to Karen, and everything else that he hadn't noticed that his youngest son was afraid of the big, bad aliens.

"Well, I'm going to take better care of my boys," he said, trying to keep his voice level.

"Dad, you already take good care of us," Hal told him.

"Not good enough."

"No one's going to die on the table this year," Anne announced in an attempt to stop the Mason pity-party. "Not under my watch."

"Perhaps a better resolution would be to get more sleep?" Weaver joked, but everyone knew it was a thinly-disguised truth; people would die under Anne's care, it was just a matter of time. Some people just couldn't be saved.

"I'm going to improve my aim," Hal said to cover up the silence that had crept up on the 2nd Mass after Weaver's comment. "When I see a Skitter, I want to kill it with one shot."

"Yeah, good luck with that, kid," Pope sneered.

"Well, what's your resolution then?" Hal shot back.

"I'm not a kid. I don't need resolutions that will turn me into an upstanding citizen or a better soldier in this glorious revolution we've got going on here."

"Well, I'm going to become stronger this year," Maggie said in an attempt to cut straight across Pope's meaning.

"I'm going to listen to Tom more," Weaver piped up. "I reckon I should stop ignoring him on account of the good ideas he seems to have from time to time." A chuckle echoed round the group.

"I'm going to diet," Dai joked emitting more enthusiastic laughter from the soldiers and civilians.

"I'm going to be more helpful to Anne," Lourdes said, throwing a small twig onto the fire and watching it catch light. "I'll be tidier, more efficient, and I'll learn more from books and from Anne."

"Lourdes, if you were any more efficient I'd have no patients!" Anne told the student.

"I could still be better," Lourdes responded.

"You're amazing already," Hal said. Lourdes lifted her head to look at the eldest Mason son across the fire, completely taken aback by his compliment. She felt her cheeks get a little flushed but it went unnoticed in the ever-changing firelight.

"What about you, Ben?" Tom asked his middle child. Ben had always been the most quiet of the three boys, but he and Rebecca had always loved finding ways to better themselves each new year. It was odd that he hadn't chimed in with his contribution yet.

"What? Oh, I don't have any resolutions this year," Ben said quietly, enthralled by the fire blazing in front of him. He actually did have a resolution, of course he did. With everything that had happened, how could he not?

_This year I'm going to fight against what they did to me._

_And I'm going to win._


	3. Ben and Lourdes' friendship

Ben and Lourdes didn't spend all that much time together, but there was an unspoken mutual agreement between the two of them that they were friends. If they were ever having meals at the same time then they'd sit together, they'd share jokes, titbits about their day as if they were at school in the cafeteria at lunch. Unfortunately, that was pretty much the only time they spent together. Lourdes spent the majority of her time with Anne fixing up the steady flow of invalids whilst Ben was out in the field or with his brothers.

Their friendship had started off like most: mutual acquaintances. It was through Anne that Ben was introduced to the med student after he'd awoken from having his harness removed. They didn't speak much – and Ben had found Lourdes' crush on his older brother slightly awkward – but there was always something between the two of them. They shared a lot: their love for family and friends, the hunger to survive, their experience as the outsider.

Ben's pity went unspoken but not unnoticed when Jamil died in the hospital basement. He did so much for Lourdes by being the only one to give her space when she didn't want to talk because he knew what that was like. He hadn't wanted to talk to anyone when he was trying to hide his sheer terror as he discovered the effects that the removed harness still had on him. Lourdes often sent him a grateful smile, a small twist of her lips, to let him know that his attitude towards the situation was appreciated. In a way, they had a deeper understanding than anyone else in the 2nd Mass.


	4. Lourdes walks in on Hal's shower

Hal sighed as the warm water soaked him from head to toe. This had been one of the things that he had missed the most during his time with the 2nd Mass: a nice, warm shower to clear away all the dirt and grime. He begin to whistle a little ditty, something he'd overheard the women singing once as they did the cooking, as he lathered his mop of hair with a small squeeze of shampoo. It felt nice to work it into his scalp, the smell filling the small bathroom. He rinsed it all out and turned the shower off, standing there for a few moments to let the quiet fall over the peace wasn't to last. This was Charleston, after all.

The sound of the bathroom door slamming made Hal jump and he let out a little squeal. "Matt? Is that you?"

"Oh, my God!" came a breathy response. Hal craned his neck around the shower curtain to confirm his suspicions. There, stood in a tank top and shorts with a fluffy green towel in her hand was Lourdes Delgado. And there, stood in the shower completely naked was Hal Mason. "I'm so sorry! The door was unlocked and I-"

"Most people knock, Lourdes!" Hal shot back, looking around desperately for his clothes, his towel, _something_ that would hide parts of his body that he _really_ didn't want this girl to see. And… there they were. The other side of the freaking bathroom completely out of his reach. "Could you please pass me my towel?"

"Oh, my God! You're naked!" Lourdes blurted out before covering her mouth and turning crimson. "I am _so_ sorry! I didn't mean to say that!"

"The towel, Lourdes!"

Lourdes grabbed the peach towel from the wooden stool and threw it at Hal, unable to look him in the eye. Hal wrapped it around his waist before finally coming out from behind the curtain. He kept his gaze on the floor as he crossed the room to pick up his clothes.

"I really am sorry, Hal. But look on the bright side: I could've come in five seconds later when you were getting the towel and I would've seen everything and-"

"Yeah, I'll see you later, Lourdes," Hal muttered as he fled the room. It took him a few seconds to realise that he was now walking around Charleston in nothing but a towel so he ducked into the nearest room to get changed.


	5. Lourdes patches Hal up

Hal sat as still as he could - well, as still was possible with someone sewing up his shoulder - whilst Lourdes went about her work. He clenched his fists and bit his bottom lip to keep himself from whimpering as the needle kept puncturing his skin. Normally, he wouldn't be so squeamish about the entire thing but then normally there were drugs and painkillers that he could take; the 2nd Mass were running low yet again and so Hal had politely refused so that the drugs could be used on those civilians who would need them more. The pain did have one good effect, though; it kept his thoughts from thinking about the young woman who was stitching him up. No matter how much he tried to deny it, he had a thing for Lourdes Delgado. He'd always pushed it away as he tried to unravel the enigma that was Margaret but lately that was getting more than frustrating and Hal was getting more than a little annoyed. Maggie had been stringing him along on her emotional roller-coaster for months now and every time he began to get close, she pulled away again.

"All done," Lourdes said as she leaned back to admire her handiwork. Hal offered her a grateful smile and Lourdes returned it before standing up and tidying the equipment away. "Next time, try not to get shot, alright?"

Hal couldn't help but grin at the concern that lay underneath the jovial tone of the nurse. Maybe… maybe Lourdes liked him, like she had done before when he was with Karen. Maybe Lourdes had never stopped liking him.

"I can't make any promises," he tried to joke back and inwardly cringed as the words left his mouth.

"I guess not," Lourdes responded, the thin veil happiness falling from her face. "There's no point in making promises, anyway. They all just get broken."

Hal sat somewhat awkwardly; he didn't know if Lourdes was going to continue or just leave it there. After a few minutes of painful silence, he decided to speak up. "You know I try hard not to break my promises, Lourdes."

"It doesn't matter how hard you try, Hal. Jamil tried hard at everything he could and look what happened to him. It's better just to try and get by, not to get attached, and not to make promises."

This outburst left Hal stunned as Lourdes hurried out of the makeshift surgery and disappeared amongst the civilians of the 2nd Mass. With a crushing weight he realised that it was going to be near impossible to get to Lourdes – not only was her wall so high, but it was like it was made of three layers of brick and had sentries paroling the perimeter. Jamil's death had affected her deeper than anyone would ever know and all Hal could do was wonder if the old Lourdes was still there and if she'd ever come back.


	6. Hal sees Karen lying in the woods

Okay I think I've got it this time, Hal's thoughts when he sees Karen's unharnessed body?

She looked so vulnerable.

That was my first thought before adrenaline began to kick in and all I could hear echoing around my mind was _Karen, Karen, Karen, Karen_. Everything flooded into my mind at once in a flash of bright white light; the memories of our relationship, little snippets of conversations. There she was, in front of me. My Karen.

Suddenly, I didn't know what to think. I felt paralysed, looking at her as she lay naked, covered by the leaves. Her harness was off – did that mean that she was alright now? On their side? She could come back to the 2nd Mass? Would she go into a downward spiral like Ben had done or would she be fine, rising it above it?

The spikes protruded from the green-tinged skin on her back. It took everything not to touch them, to see what they felt like under his fingers. Would they be rough? Smooth?

Finally, instinct kicked in. She had to get back to the hospital. I had to carry her there even if there were skitters or mechs around.

It didn't even register in my mind that the other unharnessed kids were dead. I had Karen.


	7. Maggie's feelings about Hal

Hal Mason. He was driving her mad, she was sure of it. There she was, questioning everyone, wondering why she was still alive and fighting when people better than her weren't, and along he came and told her she deserved to live. That little… What right did he have to tell her that? And to actually mean it? Sure, she'd spilt her entire story to him – thanks to the extra push from Pope – and he'd so readily accepted it _just like that_, but what right did he have to tell her that she deserves to still be alive? It just sounded she had more right to be alive than those that had been killed, and that didn't sit right with her.

But that probably wasn't the main problem at play here.

The main problem would be Hal _freaking _Mason with his too-cool-for-school attitude, his mess of brown hair, and those eyes that could break a thousand hearts and start a Trojan war. Despite her best efforts, Maggie had fallen for him and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. She'd even caught herself dreaming the other night of this perfect girl who looked exactly like her but was more… _free_. And her name was Maggie Mason. She'd almost thrown up after that.

She was the opposite of what Hal needed, what Hal should have, but that was becoming more and more irrelevant the deeper they got into the war. Maggie was slowly giving in to whatever it was the two of them had and she could feel it begin to take her over, to make her feel worth something again. She was taking it day by day, but she was getting there. As long as nothing monstrously bad happened to either of them then she'd keep surrendering herself to him, bit by bit, until she was his.

As long as nothing monstrously bad happened to either of them, she would continue to love him.


	8. Hal and Lourdes at a Halloween party

The music was so loud that Hal couldn't hear himself think. The deep _boom, boom_ of the bass reverberated through his head until he couldn't stand it. He made his way through the tightly-packed bodies to the white doors that led to outside. As he looked through the glass panes, he could see the thick smoke that was undoubtedly weed. If he went out there he'd stink of the stuff and his mom would kill him. With a regretful sigh, he turned and made his way to the next best safe haven: the kitchen.

He pushed the kitchen door open and was greeted with an odd sight; Frankenstein's monster, a slutty nurse and a green witch sat round the table with Malibu and coke discussing the origins of Halloween. The nurse, Georgia, noticed him enter and offered him a smile whilst gesturing to a seat. He sat and accepted the drink that was offered.

"I swear it's a Jewish festival," the monster said, confusion plain on his face.

"You're kidding, right?" the witch said, scratching at her chin and bringing off some of the green face paint to show tanned skin underneath. "It's pagan."

"But it's followed by All Saint's Day."

"So? Hey, what do you think?"

There was a beat before Hal realised it was him being addressed. He looked up and for a moment all he could see were the witch's eyes, brown and inquisitive. He tried desperately to formulate an answer under her gaze. "Um… well… My dad lectures me on this every year…"

"Are you nervous to answer or something, kid?" the witch asked, smirking slightly.

Hal took a swig of his drink before launching into the answer his dad had drummed into him.

* * *

The nurse and the monster made their way back to the main room to join the party; Hal was left with the witch.

"So I don't actually know your name," she prompted as the conversation lulled.

"Oh, I'm Hal. Hal Mason."

"I'm Lourdes."

"I haven't seen you around at school."

"I'm pre-med at college."

All they could hear were the muffled sounds from the next room as they searched for something to say.

"So…" Hal tried. "Imagine if there was an alien apocalypse." He immediately cursed himself. He'd walked in on Ben watching one of his sci-fi films earlier and it had stuck.

"Alien apocalypse? I'd be useless with a gun so I'd probably be helping patch people up."

"So you'd be the witch doctor," Hal joked with a stupid grin. Lourdes threw her head back as she laughed.

* * *

They woke up in the morning on the sofa with no idea how they got there. Hal was slouched with his arm around Lourdes. Her dark hair was sprawled over Hal's shoulder. No words were spoken as the two of them descended back into their dreams.


	9. Maggie and Lourdes bonding

"Hey, Doc?" Maggie's voice rang out through the empty med bus. "Doc?" Realising that no one was there, she turned to leave as she clutched her arm to her body only to jump and let out a little squeal as she saw Anne's assistant standing at the top of the grubby steps holding a clipboard.

"Are you looking for Anne?" Lourdes asked innocently as she tucked a lock of her long hair behind her right ear.

"I'm looking for anyone who can fix me up," Maggie responded.

"Come on," Lourdes told her. She walked further into the bus and put the clipboard down on a counter before motioning to a bed for Maggie to sit on. Maggie sat and Lourdes gingerly held her arm and examined the gash that ran from elbow to halfway down the forearm. "It looks like it just needs a clean and a bit of gauze. You should be fine."

The silence as Lourdes went to get the antiseptic and the gauze was deafening. Maggie scuffed her feet across the floor in a desperate attempt to make some noise. She stopped when Lourdes returned and tried to look anywhere but at the medical assistant.

"This might sting a little," Lourdes warned as she poured a little antiseptic onto a cotton pad. "We can talk to take your mind off it, if you want?"

"No offence, but I don't think we really have much to talk about."

Lourdes shrugged and began dabbing the cotton pad up and down the gash. "At least it's not bleeding anymore," she said after a few moments of silence.

"Maybe we _should_ talk about something," Maggie burst out as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Stings like hell, doesn't it." It was a statement, not a question, and Lourdes couldn't contain her small smile.

"Could the conversation be something other than the stinging in my arm?"

"As far as I can tell, we've only got one thing in common." Maggie looked at her, an eyebrow raised in question. "Hal. There's clearly something going on between the two of you and he's my friend, so…"

"Oh, there's nothing going on between me and Hal," Maggie denied, shaking her head. "I mean, I think he likes me but I'm totally the wrong girl for him."

"You're not the wrong girl for him if you like him. This bit might sting a little more – the cut looks a little deeper here." The concentration on her face increased as she began to delicately dab the lower end of the gash.

"I don't like him," Maggie growled through gritted teeth. "He's a lovely guy, but he'd be better off with someone else… someone like you."

"Well, maybe we should talk about something else…" Lourdes tailed off as she threw the cotton pad into the nearby metal bin. She picked up the gauze and tape and set to work again.

"You know, if we actually spoke to each other more often, we'd probably have more to say to each other," Maggie pointed out as she watched Lourdes working diligently.

"That's generally what happens when people get to know each other," Lourdes agreed.

"Right, so that's decided, then," Maggie said decisively. "We're gonna talk to each other more often."

Lourdes nodded in affirmation as she taped the last bit of gauze onto Maggie's arm.

"Right, that should be all fixed, now," Lourdes said, stepping back and checking her handiwork. "The gauze is more a precaution in case it starts bleeding again. Try not to knock it against anything."

"Thanks, Lourdes," Maggie said as she stood up and made for exit. "I'll see you around."


	10. Hal sees him and Lourdes after the war

There was a little picket fence standing proudly at the front of the house. Somehow it was still intact even though all the other fences and walls on the row were knocked down. The little brick path was almost completely covered with moss and led to a wooden veranda. Bits of the white railings were missing, but they could easily be replaced. The floor was still sturdy and a little mat still sat in front of the green front door. A rusty metal '9' was nailed at head-height. The door creaked slightly when it was opened and led to a dark hallway. When the light was turned on, it was clearly visible that the carpet was threadbare and the paper was peeling off the walls but that didn't matter. The furniture was all still there, covered in a thick layer of dust. There was a big mirror hanging over the mantelpiece allowing him to see her looking around the room in wonder.

She pushed her dark hair behind her ear revealing the long, slightly puckered scar that ran from her temple to her jaw. She bit her lip as the ghost of a smile found its way onto her features. He missed that smile.

"What do you think?" he asked. Her eyes met his through the mirror and her whole face brightened.

"I think it's perfect, Hal," she responded. The phrase was like water after a week in the desert. She thought it was perfect. They could make it work. "After we clean it, we can move the sofa over there. That bookshelf would probably be better in that corner…"

He never thought he'd have a house with a picket fence. He never thought he'd have someone to share this with. He never thought he'd make it this far.

But there he was with Lourdes Mason, moving into a town house. Moving into the future.


End file.
